Al Roker, staff receive Coast Guard service award

The U.S. Coast Guard honored NBC weatherman Al Roker
with the service’s Meritorious Public Service Award at a ceremony Tuesday at
Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Roker and staff from Al Roker Entertainment received the
award for exceptional advocacy of the Coast Guard through broadcasts of The
Weather Channel’s popular primetime series “Coast Guard Alaska.”

The program gives viewers an inside look into the world of
Coast Guardsmen stationed in rugged Kodiak, Alaska, as they conduct dangerous
search and rescue missions in the harsh environment.

“Al Roker and Al Roker Entertainment’s production of the
show ‘Coast Guard Alaska’ tells the story of Coast Guardsmen, our missions, and
our heritage,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Bob Papp in a Coast Guard press
release. ”The show also tells the story of the courage, devotion, and
support of Coast Guard families and the close bonds that we forge with
neighbors as Coast Guard units are part of our local communities.”

Roker is co-host and weatherman of NBC’s “Today Show,” The
Weather Channel’s “Wake Up with Al” and is a 12-time Emmy winner. He
is CEO of Al Roker Entertainment, which produces programs for cable and network
television. C. Russell Muth, executive producer, Tracie Brennan, executive in
charge of production, and Ed Tricomi, supervising producer, represented the
production company at the award ceremony.

“The success of ‘Coast Guard Alaska’ is really telling of
how fascinated fans are with our country’s Coast Guard and the remarkable
stories of true heroism,” Roker says. “We are proud to help share the mission
and accomplishments of the Coast Guard to viewers all over the country and are
honored to receive this prestigious award.”

“Since the show began, Mr. Roker’s team has worked hard to
understand the Coast Guard and tell our story to the American people,” Papp says.
“My shipmates and I look forward to future episodes of ‘Coast Guard Alaska’ and
the arrival of ‘Coast Guard Florida’ this season.”

The Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award is given to
recognize: unusual courage in advancing a Coast Guard mission; substantial
contribution to the Coast Guard that produced tangible results; and
specific individual accomplishments that provide unique benefits to the public.